AI's response regarding the Man City situation

There are three main reasons why a club inflating its finances constitutes a serious "violation (crime)."
​1. Preventing unfair competition by "buying championships with money" (Violation of FFP regulations)
​European football has a rule called FFP (Financial Fair Play). The core concept is simple: "A club must only spend as much on player transfer fees and wages as it has earned."
​If owners with oil money or massive capital were allowed to pour in their personal wealth at will to sweep up world-class players, it would become impossible for small and medium-sized clubs to compete. The allegation that Man City inflated sponsorship income to manipulate its books means they illegally increased their spending limit, allowing them to compete under unfairly advantageous conditions compared to other clubs.
​2. Preventing club bankruptcy and protecting the league ecosystem
​One of the biggest reasons FFP regulations were introduced was to prevent a chain reaction of club bankruptcies.
In the past, prestigious clubs like Leeds United or Parma took out excessive loans to amass players, but when results failed to follow, they were suddenly unable to handle the massive debt and went bankrupt, falling into the lower leagues.
If actions such as hiding expenditures by falsifying books or inflating income with fake revenue are permitted, the financial health of the entire league collapses, exposing numerous clubs to the risk of bankruptcy.
​3. "Fraud" and breach of contract against the league and fellow clubs
​All 20 clubs belonging to the Premier League (EPL) participate under the promise to adhere to the same rules.
Inflating financial books is not merely breaking a single rule; it is an act of deceiving the other 19 clubs and the fans who participated on the premise of fair competition.
​Damage to other clubs: While Man City won titles or qualified for the Champions League by inflating its finances, other clubs that followed the rules honestly missed out on trophies and failed to qualify for the Champions League, resulting in losses of hundreds of billions of won in broadcasting rights and prize money. ​Dual contracts (concealing wages): Paying managers or players through "secret accounts" outside of official accounting books constitutes tax evasion and accounting fraud.